"There's not many like him," he said, pulling at one
of the flexible ears. "You could learn him anything." It seemed so, for
after trying to solve the problem of the roller and bit with his tongue
when it was put into his mouth, he accepted the mystery with quiet,
intelligent trust; and as soon as he was freed from it, almost courted
further fondling. He would let no one but Jack near him, though. When
we entered the yard the ears went back and the whites of the eyes showed.
"No one but me for a while," Jack said, with a strange ring of ownership
in his voice, telling that it is a good thing to have a horse that is
yours, and yours only.
Within a week "Brownie" was mounted, and ridden down to the House for
final inspection, before "going bush" to learn the art of rounding up
cattle. "He'll let you touch him now," Jack said; and after a snuffing
inquiry at my hands the beautiful creature submitted to their caresses.
Dan looked at him with approving eyes. "To think she had the luck to
choose him too, out of all that crowd," he said.
"We always call it instinct, I think," the Maluka said teasingly,
twitting me on one of my pet theories, and the Dandy politely suggested
"It might be knowledge.'"
Then the Quiet Stockman gave his opinion, making it very clear that he no
longer felt that women had nothing in common with men.
